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Friday, 28 February 2014

See (See Series #1) by Jamie MageeYA/NA Crossover ParanormalPublished: May 2012Forgetting who you are, your ambitions, your lover is crippling. Remembering, embracing your purpose with a new sense of determination is more than empowering. It's soul seizing. Charlie Myers is embarking on a life-altering path that will cause the damned to humble in silence…One night, just a few friends how could it go so wrong? That was the question Charlie was asking herself when she awoke in the ER. Outwardly nothing was wrong with Charlie, she was a vision of perfect health, but Charlie knew something else was wrong, wickedly wrong. That fearful notion became even more gripping when her mind began to parade haunting visions of entrancing emerald green eyes, laced in black, before her. When she felt a hole in her heart, when the music she drowned her fears in began to amplify the ache in her soul, and caused her to crave an embrace she thought she never knew.Charlie knew then that part of her was stolen. She was missing memories. Those memories were sacred. They held the key to her sanity. They told her that the sinister whispers, and the shadows that came to life before her, were not as ominous as she felt they were. They caused her to forget the one talent that allowed her to face the darkness that haunted her every waking hour. They also masked a much deeper bond, the face of the one that had stolen her heart, long before that tragically blinding night.Charlie wanted to stay in NY, fight her demons where she found them, and ensure that her true home remained a sanctuary. Fate had a different plan in mind. Against her will, Charlie was sent to Salem to live with her sister. Within that small town Charlie found her memories…and so much more.Her story begins now.

“What’s going on?” I asked nervously, hitting ‘Pause’ on my phone as I watched him push the seat back so his legs could have more room.“I told you I’d tell you how to get back,” he said, smiling faintly.Every part of me was tingling. Yet, I was frozen in place. I had no idea how I was going to focus well enough to drive.What would I do if I had to fight these shadows in front of him? I was horrified.“Yeah, but I thought you meant follow you,” I said, trying to take in a breath after I said the words.“I wanted to ride with you,” he said, pulling his belt on.As he leaned closer to me to fasten it, I could smell the addictive aroma of his cologne. I knew that scent. My mind was firing off images of him at warp speed. His scent, his eyes, his energy, every ounce of him was magnifying fantasies I could not comprehend in the state I was in.“Just for the record, you’re only my second passenger. Third, if you count my teacher,” I said, putting the car in drive.“Duly noted.”I caught myself staring into his enchanting eyes. His dark lashes framed the most alluring color I’d ever seen. It was like they were intended to be black, but a shade of the most perfect green had shattered the black canvas that they were.Eyes that had haunted me for days...He stared back at me with almost the same wonder, then he quirked a slight grin. “That way,” he said, pointing to the left.Obviously I was alone in my fascination. Surely if we were anything like my minds eye was telling me we were in some forgotten past he would have said something.Unless. Unless it was a bad past.The tinge of pain in my heart let that dark thought enter my mind.I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I tried to smile through it as I turned the wheel. I crept down the gravel driveway, fighting the glare of the headlights coming from his Hummer. Just before I reached the road, he reached up and moved my rearview mirror, taking the torture of the lights away. He then gently grasped my ear buds and pulled them out. His warm fingertips brushed against my skin, and it took everything I had not to faint. I thought I heard him sigh, just after he took in a deep breath. Those long fingertips of his lingered a little longer, more than likely a second or two, but it felt like hours, then they slid down my neck taking the cords from my ear buds with them. I angled my eyes at him to see if I had the same effect on him that he clearly had on me. “You have to be able to see and hear if you’re going to get us home,” he explained, relaxing into his seat. He bit his bottom lip as he bathed me in his smoldering gaze. We said a thousand words at that moment. Words I could not hear, but wanted to.

Author Bio - Jamie Magee

I'm an obsessive daydreamer. Lover of loud alternative music. Addicted to Red Bull. I love to laugh until it hurts. Fall is my favorite season. Black is my favorite 'shade.' Strong believer in the saying: there is a reason for everything, therefore I search for 'marked moments' every moment of everyday...and I find them. Life is beautiful!

Phia's summer gets turned upside down when her sister Lucy arrives home from college and declares that she no longer wants to be a lawyer, and instead has decided to become an actress. While trying to figure out what's gotten into her sister, Phia is repeatedly thrown into the path of Lucy's best friend Daniel, who's also back in town after his first year at college.

As Lucy begins to draw away from her family and Daniel in the pursuit of her newly acquired acting dream, it leaves Phia and Daniel spending a lot of time together. As they begin to get to know each other, they discover that they have a lot in common, especially their love of music.

Hannah Harvey is a twenty two year old author of young adult fiction. She's self published two previous books, 'How I Got Here' and 'After Summer' both of which are available on the Kindle marketplace.

She runs her own blog where she reviews all the books she reads, talks about her writing and does other book related things.

Of Sea and Stone (The Dark Elements #1) by Kate Avery EllisonYA FantasyPublished: February 2014All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.

When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.

Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…

The broad stone ground of the Training Rock was warm and smooth beneath my bare feet. A salt-scented wind teased the tendrils of hair escaping from beneath my hood. I straightened my spine and lifted my chin as if I belonged as I approached the group of boys and young men, who stood in a haphazard line before the target of wood.I took my place at the end of the line.The smell of salt filled the air. Gulls screamed overhead as the first boy drew back his arm and threw his spear. It glanced off the target and clattered on the rock. His face creased with disgust, and he turned away. The second boy threw, and the tip of his spear embedded itself in the corner of the target.I was better at throwing than any of these boys. I’d always been good at it, better than anyone else my age when I was small enough to swim in the shallows with the free children and sleep in my mother’s arms at night. My mother had beamed with pride to see me throw, and so I continued to hone my skill even after she was gone. Sometimes I went out to the edge of the rocks that formed a ring around the sea like a circle of stone arms, and I caught fish to put on the fire so Nealla and I could eat more than the meager food we were provided for our meals. I was better than all of them, but being a girl banned me from participating in the competition.At the front of the line stood Nol, the oldest in the competition and the favorite of the crowd. He cast a glance my way, but didn’t look long. I exhaled as he turned his head away.One by one, the boys threw their spears. They were still learning, and few were good yet. The aim of a fisherman was impeccable, once he’d mastered the art, but these were just boys.I swallowed as the boy beside me took his turn, and then it was mine. I stepped forward and hefted my spear. The weight was familiar in my hand. I inhaled, squinted at the target, and threw.The spear buried itself at the edge of the middle circle. A few of the boys cried out in appreciation. Sweat broke out across my back.I hadn’t meant to throw quite so well.

Author Bio -Kate Avery Ellison

I live in Georgia with my wonderful husband and two spoiled cats. When I'm not writing, I'm usually catching up on my extensive Netflix queue, reading a book, giggling at something funny online, or trying to convince my husband to give me just ONE bite of whatever he's eating.

Insight (Insight #1) by Jamie MageeYA/NA Crossover ParanormalPublished: June 2010Willow Haywood has always been trapped between the worlds of the Light and the Dark. Her waking hours are plagued by her ability to feel the emotions of those around her. No matter how inward she draws, she cannot shut out the feelings of others. Sometimes she will see images - echoes of other people and places - that she can enter to influence the emotions of people she has never met.By night, Willow experiences her only escape from this terrible insight - entering into the world of dreams. Most of these dreams are shared in blissful silence with a stunning blue-eyed boy. But every new moon she lives through something much darker: a horrific nightmare shared by another mysterious boy who is always shrouded by shadows.One night, this shadowy figure invades her dreams outside of his appointed time. In this new nightmare, Willow is marked; a mark which follows her into the waking world and sets her on a momentous path through light and darkness, through fragmented myth and half-truths, through past lives and disturbing family secrets, all in the face of the ever-dominant Zodiac. What she finds will endanger the lives of those closest to her and will force her to make a decision that will change her world forever.

I felt a blanket of peaceful love with a sense of urgency. The night air in front of me began to move; it looked like a wave gently swaying with a current. A thin light began to emerge then Landen stepped through the wave. I felt the air leave my lungs and adrenaline rush through every part of my body as my heart violently hammered in my chest.“Landen…” I breathed.In the darkness, I could see his haunting blue eyes widen, we were both soaked in the emotion of disbelief, along with the fear that this wasn’t real.In that beat of my heart he’d reached my side. His hands were trembling ever so slightly as they cradled my face, and his thumbs graze the flesh of my cheekbones. He was staring at me like I was a forbidden fruit, like I was every sin in the book, desire washed over that lasting look as he leaned in and let his lips frame mine. When we melded the flesh of our lips together, his hands fell from my face and slowly waved down my body, embracing my flesh, I was doing the same to him. He was warm, he was on fire, I could hear his breaths, hear the sweet sound of our kiss, the way our clothes were moving under our touch. He was real. He was in my arms, and he was driving me wild. That first kiss was nothing compared to this, that was a dream, it was fleeting, it was something that could end at any second, this—this touch, this emotion, this pulsing of my soul was eternal.He pressed our bodies together and held me with more strength than he had ever displayed. We both sought air more than once, but the other moved closer as soon as that gasp was taken. His warm tongue was uninhabited yet sensual as it danced with mine. I was devouring every sensation he was giving me and wanting more, so much more.I was trembling with passion, I think he misunderstood that, he slowed our kiss, as one arm went around me and the other cradled my face. His thumb reached to my lips just as his kiss ended, he tenderly caressed the moist, swollen flesh he found there.“I found you,” he said with the lips of an angel. His voice was deep and entrancing, those three simple words sounded like poetry as he spoke them. His eyes danced over my image, “I love you.” he said as he leaned in and kissed me once more, this was a sweet kiss, only lips, only warm sensual lips.

Author Bio - Jamie Magee

I'm an obsessive daydreamer. Lover of loud alternative music. Addicted to Red Bull. I love to laugh until it hurts. Fall is my favorite season. Black is my favorite 'shade.' Strong believer in the saying: there is a reason for everything, therefore I search for 'marked moments' every moment of everyday...and I find them. Life is beautiful!

After the Curtain Falls by Ainsley ShayYA ParanormalPublished: 31st January 2014Erik never had to be anything other than a freak…until now.

Two hundred fifty-three days is a long time to fake being normal when night after night you perform miraculous feats on stage in a freak show. Thousands have paid to witness the miracle, suspecting nothing more than a hoax. But it is very real and it is slowly destroying him. Erik is weakened to the point where he’ll stop performing and start going to school for the first time ever—in his senior year. His only goal is to rebuild his strength so he can return to the stage and perform doing what he loves most in this world. What he didn’t plan for was the appearances of beautiful Addison and mysterious Naya. Now, unfamiliar feelings and bizarre new friendships threaten to unbalance Erik’s future as a miracle-performing freak.

*After the Curtain Falls is currently on sale for .99c until the end of February*

Author Bio - Ainsley ShayAinsley Shay avoids insanity by living mostly in the fiction world. She believes surrounding herself with positive people, and strives for balance in everything. She owns more jeans with rips and holes than without; and has recently found the magic of patches. For her, reading or writing the perfect sentence is better than the smoothest piece of dark chocolate melting in her mouth. She is a deltiologist for pure enjoyment, not for the study of. She longs to move north one day, even though she hates the cold. (Go figure!) So, for now, she continues to live in warm south Florida with her incredible husband, three beautiful daughters, and two lazy cats. (We won’t mention the dog.)

Thursday, 27 February 2014

In the fading light of the night, their eyes meet where their lips cannot. It is a single second that sustains their love.From the moment her eyes met his, Estelle Dumont was captivated. Her heart would always be his.

But Edmond Lamont’s heart wasn’t entirely hers. He had been in love once before, tricked by the fair beauty of an Encantado named Lisle.

Desperate to rid themselves of the curse she placed upon them, they must decide just how far they are willing to go. They must decide if their love is more important than their lives.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your book, In the Fading Light.

In the Fading Light is a book that was inspired by the cover. I saw the picture and instantly knew the story. It was a little random but that's me to a T. I'm a spazz, listening to a song one minute and making a story up from it the next. I get inspired by so many things, probably why I write so many genres and different stories. This one has been interesting for me. It runs along a similar line to Lady Hawk, 80's movie I adored. Very supernatural and paranormal and magical. Essentially if I say anything I'll give it all away lol. My books are so clandestine, but how else can I screw with your mind? I am a Canadian author, one of like what—nine lol. We are a small group led by Margaret Atwood and Kelly Armstrong. I am married to a federal police officer, so my life revolves around moving around Canada with him. Sucks for my work but he wears a uniform so that makes up for it. I have two daughters who are everything. They are my homies for chick night and all fans of Mr. Darcy. If I had to pick people to take to Austenland with me, they would be on the list. They are clutching to me while we watch scary movies, eating our popcorn and ready to cry any second and then doing rock climbing and making me be the anchor for them as they scramble higher than I am comfortable with. We have a strong family and I want them to be strong like the kick ass girls in my stories.

Where did you get the idea for In the Fading Light?

The cover, it is exactly the story. A girl in a dress made of raven feathers.

Are any of your characters based on people you know?

No. This one is all Tara's Fifty Shades of Cray brain.

Do you have a favourite genre to write? Or one that you think would be interesting to try?

I am slowly working my way through them all lol. Again, I'm a spazz. I want Aliens next. More so than Imaginations was.

Where's your favourite place to go for inspiration?

The mall or the movies and just people watch. Sounds weird but it works for me. Or sometimes just a drive in the country or some hot yoga can clear my brain.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Italy. My family is Italian and I love the food, wine, and people, so I have to assume I'll love the country. After that Iceland. My husband is Icelandic.

Any parting words of wisdom?

Just keep writing. It's what I tell everyone who asks. Don't stop and focus on one story, just write and see what comes out.

Thanks!!!!!Thank you Tara for the fabulous interview!

Author Bio - Tara Brown

I am not going to talk in the third person. It feels weird.I am a Bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal Romance but my true passion is my Post Apocalyptic and Fantasy novels. I write a lot of books and jump Genres a lot. Mostly because I think I have Writers ADD, I like to call it WADD. It might be a real thing.I write New Adult, my books have sexual content (Heck yes) and Swearing. You have been warned. Now enjoy!

I have a beagle named Buster, a husband who I force to read everything I write and two girls who want so badly to be a character in my books. And not in that order.

I am mid thirties so be prepared for the chick lit novel this year. I am calling it my Ode to my Midlife Crisis.I have been writing since I was old enough to lie. So for some time.

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. ArmentroutPublished: 25th February 2014 by Harlequin TeenOne kiss could be the last.Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

“I don’t think of Zayne that way!”She laughed. “What man-parts-loving female in this world doesn’t think of Zayne that way? I can barely keep myself breathing when I see him. All the guys in school have squishy waists. I can tell Zayne doesn’t. He’s the awesome sauce with extra sauce.”That he was and he so didn’t have a squishy waist, but I tuned Stacey out at that point. I really did need to cram for this test and I also didn’t want my fantasies involving Zayne to occupy my mind right now. Especially after I’d woken up this morning, carefully tucked under the covers. The bed had smelled like him: sandalwood and crisp linen.“Oh, sweet baby Jesus in a manger,” Stacey murmured.I clenched my jaw, cupping my hands over my ears.She jabbed me in the side with her elbow. At this rate I’d be covered in bruises before lunchtime. “Our bio class just got a billion times more interesting. And hotter, lots and lots hotter. Holy mother, I want to have his babies. Not now of course, but definitely later. But I’d like to start practicing soon.”The cell wall is a thick and rigid layer covering the plasma something, something plant cells…Stacey stiffened all of a sudden. “Oh my God, he’s coming—”Composed of fat and sugar—Something slender and shiny fell from who knew where, landing in the middle of Sam’s notes. Blinking tightly, it took me a couple of seconds to recognize the faded and half peeled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sticker covering the back of the silver cell phone. My heart slammed against my ribs. Gripping the edges of the notebook, I slowly lifted my gaze. Unnaturally beautiful golden eyes met mine.“You forgot this last night.”

Author Bio - Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Giveaway!Now that you have a taste for this fabulous new series, here are the details for the AMAZING international giveaway!!! Harlequin Teen is giving away a large Harlequin Teen Tote.Tote Includes:· Harlequin TEEN branded tote· The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa (trade)· Pawn by Aimee Carter (hard cover)· Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (hard cover)· Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter (hard cover)· 2 copies of White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout· 1 pair of black harlequin branded socks (they are so comfy!)-International-Ends 27th February 2014

I remember walking into class late almost everyday during Prep and Grade 1 because I was too busy reading in the morning to get ready and when I did finally get to school the reading didn't stop. I'd walk into class with my nose stuck between the pages of a Famous Five book and I wouldn't put it away until I'd put my bag away in the cloakroom. Luckily my teacher was fond of Enid Blyton!

I was introduced to these books by my Grade 4 teacher when she read a bit of it to the class one day, unfortunately though the school library wouldn't allow us little Grade 4s to borrow those books as they were apparently for "older readers" (Grade 5/6s) luckily though my teachers were aware of my love of reading (yes, I was still walking into class late with a book in hand) and they talked to the library staff and gave me special access! This was of course very cool to me, but not as cool to everyone else. Weirdos. ;)

I grew up with the Harry Potter books and as many kids did, I devoured them completely, except for the first book, that one I read later. I was given a copy of the first book as a present but since I got it at the same time the movie came out I watched that instead and then read the books from #2. The last book came out when I was in Grade 6 and one of my friends who got the book a couple of days before me let slip something about a certain Weasley twin. I still have not forgiven him completely for that.

My Grade 1 teacher introduced me to this series after noticing my love of the Famous Five series (wonder how she knew that..) and after reading the first book I was hooked! Unfortunately my local library & the local bookshops only had the first 8 or 9 books in the series from the new Random House reprint and so I only got to read that far, but my superly-duperly awesome boyfriend collects Trixie Belden/Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys books and gave me all his doubles so now I can finish one of my favourite childhood series!

I was given the trilogy boxed set for my birthday one year but stupidly put it to the side thinking it looked silly. It wasn't until it got close to the movie coming out (The Golden Compass) that I thought I should read these books before I see the movie and I am SO glad I did! This is my favourite series and I just adore these books so much! The movie was a huge let-down after how much love I felt for these books, but I was still on such a book-high I didn;t care. Love, love, love this series!

I was a bit older for this series, around 11 or 12, and when I first started it I was really tempted to put it down after the first chapter because it had started off - in my 11 year old opinion - very, very slowly, with no action and just lots of description and words. Of course this was setting the scene for the epic fantasy that would follow and building a relationship with the characters, though it took me a few more years to work that one out. I did however keep going with the book and absolutely adored it! I then rapidly devoured the rest of the series!

There were of course many other books that made up my childhood, but these were the main few I can remember. Honourable mentions go to Tamora Pierce, Dr. Seuss, Isobelle Carmody, and Garth Nix. I know there are many more authors I devoured but I just can't quite recall them!

I would like to alert my readers that my opinions are my own and I am not being paid for my reviews. All books not bought are given to me freely and are accepted for an honest review. Receiving ARC's and/or free review copies in no way influences the opinions expressed in my reviews.